08.14.20
By Lisa Major
The retail industry has faced many challenges over the past few years as shopping habits and customer expectations have changed. Tack on a pandemic and physical retailers are now facing a new set of challenges due to temporary store closures. In the pre-pandemic world, experiential retail proved to be a gamechanger in driving sales and loyalty, and looking ahead, it looks like experiences will continue to be a successful strategy for retailers.
In this week’s Happy Hour, we’ll take a look at what the future holds for retail. We also talk about the importance of swag for virtual events and a nostalgic brand experience that’s generating a ton of buzz.
“With customers becoming more and more comfortable purchasing all manner of goods online, physical retail needs to wow and delight.” ~Storefront
Non-essential physical retail has taken hard a hit during COVID-19, and even though stores are reopening their doors, retailers are coping with a myriad of problems, including low consumer confidence and the fear surrounding public spaces. Over the past few years, we’ve seen several retailers find success with experiential retail, and according to this article, engaging in-store experiences and pop-up shops will play a critical role in winning over customers as we navigate through the pandemic. Read on for more insights surrounding the future of physical retail.
“In a world where in-person connections are minimal, giving your virtual attendees a physical (or digital) item helps make things feel a little more normal as well as more personal.” ~Dyan Cornacchio
Live events and giveaways go hand and hand. Event swag is big a part of the attendee experience, not to mention it’s expected. It helps to build brand awareness, it creates memorable moments, and it opens the door for conversation. But in this new era of virtual events, is swag still a thing? The answer is yes! At least, it should be. Whether it is a physical item delivered to an attendee’s doorstep or a digital one, virtual event swag will elevate the attendee experience and make the event experience feel more personal. In this article, Sparks covers a few virtual event swag ideas that will make your event a memorable one.
“The first official socially distanced venue to open in the U.K. since the pandemic began held its first concert Tuesday night, with 2,500 fans gathering on 500 separate elevated platforms placed on a racing track field.” ~Chris Willman, Variety
Photo: Twitter/@VMUnityArena
Event professionals celebrated some good news out of the UK this week after a concert with 2,500 fans gathered at a pop-up venue to watch a performance by musician Sam Fender. Event organizers pulled this off by carefully planning the venue design and fan seating to allow for social distancing. Read on to learn more about this fantastic pop-up venue, and how it is safely bringing live music back to fans.
Photo: Airbnb
If you’re like me, the last time you set foot in a Blockbuster movie store was 15 or more years ago. But that’s not the case for the folks in Bend, OR, home of the world’s last remaining Blockbuster. The local store was set to celebrate its 20th year of being a Blockbuster store this year, but of course, like everything else, the pandemic threw a wrench into those plans. So instead of hosting a big party, the store teamed up with Airbnb to host a stayable brand experience for local residents. Here, we’ll take a closer look at this nostalgic brand experience.
Each week, ATN’s Happy Hour brings you the latest news from the experiential and event marketing industry. Subscribe to our blog to receive even more news delivered to your inbox once a month.
